


You Are What You Eat

by charlesdk



Series: Tumblr Fics [21]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Deputy Derek Hale, M/M, Tumblr Fic, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-19
Updated: 2016-02-19
Packaged: 2018-05-21 22:30:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6060460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charlesdk/pseuds/charlesdk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek grew up around werewolves and doesn't really know how humans work. By watching Stiles, he learns that you're supposed to obsess over what the people you care about eat. Apparently.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You Are What You Eat

“Incoming!”

Derek raised his hand and caught the small bag of baby vegetables thrown at him, before he could even take his eyes off the screen in front of him. He gave the vegetables a look, then lifted his gaze to a grinning Stiles.

“That was impressive,” Stiles said, stopping a few steps from Derek’s desk. “You’ve got killer reflexes, dude. I’m kinda jealous.”

Derek huffed, a small smile on his face as he turned the bag in his hand. “Aren’t you getting tired of these?” he asked, handing it back to Stiles. “You’ve been eating them every day for the past three weeks.”

Stiles had come in on Derek’s first day as a deputy, a salad in hand and gnawing on a carrot. He had spotted Derek and had walked right over to him to welcome him to the station. They had talked until the Sheriff stepped out of his office, and Stiles walked over to hug his dad, handing him the salad.

Derek had watched as the Sheriff groaned and complained about it. He had watched Stiles tell him he needed to eat it so he wouldn’t drop dead too soon. Obviously that wasn’t the first time that had happened.

And every day when Stiles had come to visit the station - 12:34 PM on the dot, always - he always had a healthy lunch in hand for his dad, and the Sheriff would always complain about it but eat it anyway.

Derek was a werewolf who had been surrounded by other werewolves his entire life. He didn’t know how humans functioned, not really, so he thought that was just how every human worked, thought making the people you care for eat rabbit food was what you did.

“They’re good for you,” Stiles answered in a shrug. “Besides, I’m forcing my dad to eat healthy food, so it’s only fair if I do it too.”

“I know.” Derek sat further back on his chair, leaning against the back of it. “But you’re always eating the same vegetables. Aren’t you tired of them? And it doesn’t look like enough anyway.”

Stiles snorted and waved his hand, shaking his head lightly. “It’s fine, I don’t need much to get me through the day. And Scott usually takes me to get a burger after work anyway.”

Derek’s brows knitted, confusion written on his face. “But… that’s fast food. That’s unhealthy.”

“Which is exactly why you’re not gonna tell my dad anything, or I’ll cut your balls off.” Stiles pointed a warning finger at him. “See you later, Hale. Time to force feed my dad some rabbit food.”

Stiles left, and Derek could only focus on the worry in his chest for the rest of the day.

*

Stiles wasn’t going to take care of himself? Fine. That just meant Derek had to do it.

Whenever he didn’t have to be working, he compiled a bunch of recipes for healthy meals from the internet. Laura had busted him in the middle of it one night and had promptly laughed her ass of at him when he had told her why he was doing it, had said “you’ve got it bad, baby bro” while ruffling his hair.

He didn’t care what his sister thought though. He cared for Stiles and was going to shove the healthy food down his throat if he had to.

On a Monday morning, Derek walked into the station with a healthy, home cooked meal for Stiles. He put it on his desk just as the Sheriff came out of his office, looking like he hadn’t been sleeping and downing the rest of the coffee in the mug.

The Sheriff looked over at Derek after having started brewing another round of coffee. “Morning, deputy,” he greeted, Derek nodded in return. “Finally decided to start bringing your own lunch, huh?”

“Actually,” Derek felt his entire face go hot, his eyes on the packed lunch sitting on his desk, “that’s not for me.” He could practically feel the curious stare on him. “It’s for Stiles.”

“Stiles? My son, Stiles?” The Sheriff seemed to chew on that for a moment, then did a half nod and poured freshly made coffee into his mug. “Well, that’s nice. How long has this been going on?”

“This would be the first time,” Derek answered, slowly turning his head to look back at the Sheriff. The station was slowly filling back up, exhausted deputies having had to work over night being replaced by half asleep deputies just waking up.

The Sheriff nodded at deputy Parrish as he came into the building, then returned his attention to Derek. “I’m not talking about the lunch, Hale. I’m talking about you and my son, your uh… relationship.”

Derek’s brows dropped heavily over his wandering eyes, confusion clear on his face. “We’re friends?” he said slowly, eyes moving back to the Sheriff.

The Sheriff gave him a look of disbelief and scoffed softly. “Sure, if that’s what you want to call it.” He shook his head and reached out for a pack of sugar, casting Derek a glance as he ripped it open. “Not a word to Stiles.” He poured the sugar in and nodded at him. “Back to work, deputy.”

So Derek did. Around 10 AM he went to check out a reported robbery, only to find nothing there but a confused old lady, the distant sound of a cat meowing from inside. He apologized for waking her up, she smiled sweetly at him, and then he went back to the station.

At 12:33 PM, Stiles walked into the station yawning widely. “’Sup, Derek,” he said as he came to a stop next to his desk.

Derek looked at him, noticed the dark lines under his brown eyes. “Why are you tired?” he asked, the words slipping out of his mouth before he could think them over.

Stiles sighed heavily, his shoulders dropping, and he moved the plastic box with a veggie burger inside to his other hand. “Oh I don’t know. Maybe it’s the fact that I slept like shit last night, or maybe it’s because I work in a shit office with shit people, and it’s boring as hell.”

This wasn’t the first time Stiles complained about his boring office job. Far from it. “Then why don’t you quit?”

Stiles laughed, shortly and dryly. “Right, because that’s an option. I need the money, so I don’t really have a choice. Besides, what else am I gonna do for a living?”

“Didn’t you say you wanted to become a firefighter?” Derek remembered when Stiles had told him that. He didn’t remember in what context that had come up, but he did remember that Stiles had said it.

“Nah, that was just a silly dream.” Stiles put on a smile and lifted the container in his hand slightly. “Well, better go feed the old man.”

“Tell him to take a nap too. He worked over night.” Derek turned back to his desk, his eyes falling on the lunch he had brought in, and then quickly turned back to Stiles. “Stiles, wait!”

Stiles stopped, having only managed to take maybe three steps toward the Sheriff’s office, and he turned around, brows raised at Derek. “What’s up?”

Standing up, Derek grabbed the lunch and held it out for Stiles. “Here.”

Stiles looked at the lunch, then at Derek, then back down again, a small smile slowly tugging at his lips. “What’s that?”

“Lunch. For you.”

There was a sudden and bright smile forming on Stiles’ lips, and Derek ignored how it made his heart pound and his ears burn. “Deputy Derek Hale. Did you buy me lunch?”

Derek pulled the lunch a bit back, his gaze dropping to it. “No. I made it.”

Stiles was gaping at him, he knew he was. He also knew that Parrish had been watching them and had snorted right after he had admitted to having made the lunch.

When Derek looked back up, he found Stiles smiling at him, his cheeks pink. “I’ll be right back,” Stiles said and nearly ran into the Sheriff’s office.

Derek didn’t manage to do more than sit back down on his chair and glare at Parrish, before Stiles came rushing back out. He grabbed the chair next to Parrish’ desk and the two shared a look that Derek didn’t know what meant, before Stiles came to sit down next to Derek, grabbing the lunch from him with a wide smile on his face.

“I am starving, you have no fucking idea.” Stiles popped the container open, took a moment to appreciate it and sniffing it, before he dug in.

The moan he let out at the first bite was practically pornographic, and Derek knew his ears were bright red at this point, his cheeks as well probably. He also knew that most of the other deputies looked over at them, a few biting back a laugh and a couple winking and giving thumbs up to Derek.

“Oh my God!” Stiles exclaimed as he shoveled more into his mouth. “This is the best fucking thing I’ve _ever_ had! Did you seriously make this yourself? Shit dude, I might have to snatch you up and marry you before someone else does, because oh my _God_ , this is incredible!”

Derek let a smile grow on his face, and he forgot all about his own lunch, because he was too busy watching Stiles shovel down the food he had made for him, while rambling on about everything and nothing.

It should be disgusting, watching someone talk with their mouth full, but Derek just found it endearing.

Yeah, he definitely had it bad.

*

The following day there was a colorful and fresh salad sitting on his desk. Derek only had time to put it there, before he was rushing out the door with a few other deputies. There had been an emergency at the bank, and he didn’t have time to even say good morning to the Sheriff.

Although as he jumped into the passenger seat of Parrish’s cruiser, he did listen in and heard the Sheriff’s soft snore.

The emergency was over quickly, and Derek and Parrish escorted two guys in their early 20′s to the station.

“So what’s going on with you and Stiles?” Parrish asked at a stoplight on the way back, taking his eyes off the road to give Derek a curious look.

Derek rolled his eyes, shaking his head lightly. “Nothing. We’re just friends.”

“Well, as far as I know, ‘just friends’ don’t bring each other lunch,” Parrish said, brows crawling up his forehead. “And ‘just friends’ don’t blush around each other like you two do.”

There was a snort from the backseat, so Derek turned slowly, glaring at the guy and maybe flashing his blue beta eyes at him a little bit. The guy instantly tried to make himself small, his head lowered, and his face pale.

“I didn’t blush,” Derek said, sitting back up in his seat. “It was just… hot in the station.”

Parrish laughed, the light turned green, and he started driving. “Sure. Whatever you say, Hale.”

They parked in front of the station just as Stiles jumped out of his crappy, old jeep, another veggie burger box in hand. Derek hated that the jeep was so old a little bit, hated that Stiles drove around in an unsafe vehicle. But he knew there was no way of getting Stiles to replace that car. He had suggested it one time, and Stiles had started yelling at him for even suggesting it. Apparently the jeep had been his mother’s, and he didn’t care how old or how crappy it was. He was going to keep it for as long as he possibly could.

“Evening, deputies,” Stiles greeted them with a smile on his lips and a lame salute with his free hand. “Thank you for keeping the town safe.”

“Just doing our job,” Derek replied, a soft smile forming on his lips.

Parrish looked between the two, then sighed and rolled his eyes, as he walked inside, pulling the two guys with him. “I really don’t need to be here for the flirting,” Derek heard him mumble to himself.

Stiles looked after Parrish for a moment, before he turned back to Derek. “So, you guys took care of the bank situation, huh?”

“How do you know about that?” Derek started walking toward the station, Stiles followed.

“Weeell,” Stiles shrugged and slipped inside when Derek held the door open for him, “I may or may not be listening in on the police radio, but in my defense!” He held a hand up, giving Derek a look. “My job is very boring, and it’s the only fun I have the whole day.”

Derek turned to him, brows raised and a teasing smile playing on his lips. “So having lunch with your dad isn’t fun?”

Stiles opened his mouth to say something, but only a noise left him. “Okay, lunch is pretty fun too, but only because I get to see you.” He grinned and lightly nudged at Derek.

Derek rolled his eyes and muttered “Idiot” under his breath. They reached his desk, and he grabbed the salad and handed it to Stiles. “Here. Go have lunch with your dad.”

The grin faltered from Stiles’ lips when his gaze dropped to the salad. He snapped his beautiful, wide, and brown eyes up at Derek a second later, a fond smile slowly pulling at his lips. “Is this going to be a regular thing?” he asked, taking the salad.

Derek nodded once and firmly. “Absolutely.”

The fond smile grew wide on Stiles’ face, his eyes shining. “Then that’s another thing I get to look forward to every day.” He punched Derek’s shoulder lightly and took a few steps back. “Thank you, Derek.”

Derek nodded at him, watched him until he disappeared into the Sheriff’s office, and he then sat down and turned to his monitor, a happy flutter around his heart.

“You’ve got it bad, Hale,” Parrish told him on his way back from the cell room.

Well, he wasn’t wrong.

*

“I really don’t feel like going to the movies,” Derek said in a low murmur, eyes scanning over the words in the book he held in his hands.

Laura grabbed the book and slammed it shut with a smile on her face. “Well, I don’t have anyone else to bring with me and you need to get out more than just when you’re working, so you’re going.”

“Why aren’t you taking your boyfriend?” Derek reached out to snatch the book back, but Laura didn’t let him.

Laura shrugged. “Because we kind of broke up, and that would be awkward.”

“You what?” Derek shot up from the couch, brows furrowed. “Why didn’t you tell me that?”

Laura gave him a look, because after what happened with the last guy who broke her heart, he knew why. “Because I don’t think wolfing out on my ex-boyfriend is going to do anything but out us to the whole town and every hunter in any of the nearby towns.” She threw the book away, the book landing heavily somewhere behind her. “You’re coming. Don’t make me use the alpha card.”

That was how Derek found himself at the movies, a frown stuck on his face.

It wasn’t that he hated going to the movies. He actually really liked it. But Laura wanted to see some comedy with Zac Efron, and Derek would rather watch anything else or be at home catching up on his reading.

“Laura, everyone going to see this movie is either 15 or a couple,” he sighed, hands buried in the pockets of his leather jacket. “If I hate it, I’m going to walk out of there, just so you know.”

Laura snorted. “Oh please. You get to look at Zac Efron, and I know you had a thing for him during his High School Musical phase, don’t even try to deny it.”

“I was a hormonal teenager discovering his sexuality, you can’t blame me for that.” Derek grabbed a bag of nuts and threw them at Laura who caught them with ease. “And even if I did still find him attractive, which I don’t, that doesn’t mean I want to sit through a dumb comedy movie.”

“Right, I forgot you only have eyes for your boss’ son,” Laura murmured and ignored the glare Derek send her. “How ‘bout we make a deal then?” She turned to him, a grin on her lips. “If you can sit through the entire movie and not complain about it or fall asleep, I’ll let you pick the next movie we go see?”

“How about, instead of that, you stop teasing me about-” Derek stopped when someone bumped into him, popcorn flying between them. “Stiles?”

Stiles groaned down at the popcorn on the ground, then quickly snapped his head up when Derek spoke, and a wide smile split his face. “Derek!” The smile faded a little when he looked over at Laura, Laura who was biting back a laugh. “You two on a date?”

Laura stopped biting it back and let out a loud laugh that attracted the attention of a few other movie goers. Derek nearly did the same, but he managed to hold it back as he shook his head. “No, that’s my evil sister Laura.”

Stiles’ eyes went wide, and it was only then that Derek noticed the two people behind him, because the two of them snorted. There was a guy with tan skin, a crooked jaw, and kind, brown eyes, and a woman with black hair loosely hanging over her shoulders and cute dimples.

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry,” Stiles quickly said, eyes still wide and slightly panicked. “Of course that’s your sister, I’m a fucking idiot. You even look alike!” He groaned, took in a deep breath, and then exhaled sharply. “Well hi, Derek’s sister Laura. I’m Stiles, the idiot of Beacon Hills. And those two,” he gestured behind him, eyes back on Derek, “are my best friends Scott and Allison.”

Laura chuckled and walked over to stand next to Derek, a smile on her lips and eyes on Stiles. “Well, Stiles, you’re as cute as Derek says you are.” Derek snapped his head around to glare at his sister, while Stiles’ jaw dropped. “Oops, I wasn’t supposed to tell you that.”

There was an uncomfortable silence hanging over them. Until Scott stepped forward and held his hand out to Derek, a kind smile on his face. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Derek. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Stiles snapped his jaw shut and slapped Scott’s chest, a nervous laugh escaping him. “He’s exaggerating. I’ve only mentioned you like once or twice.”

“Or a hundred times a day,” Scott mumbled, and Stiles shot him a sharp look.

Derek ignored that part, knowing humans probably wouldn’t have been able to hear it, and reached out to shake Scott’s still stretched out hand. “You too.” He gave Allison a nod as well, before he turned to Stiles and finally paid the popcorn any attention. “You’re not supposed to eat those.”

Stiles’ gaze dropped to the popcorn in his arms, and he made a face at Derek when he looked back up. “What, popcorn? Derek, popcorn is a must when going to the movies, and I will absolutely eat all of them.”

Shaking his head, Derek reached out for the popcorn, only to have Stiles step back as he did. “They’re bad for you.”

“I don’t care!” Stiles kept stepping back whenever Derek stepped forward and tried to grab the popcorn from him. “You can’t watch a movie without popcorn. Derek, stop it! You’re not getting my popcorn!”

The other three watched the two waltzing around and somehow not crashing into anything or anyone for about five seconds, before Laura sighed and shook her head. “Why don’t we go pay for our stuff? Those two could be at it for a while.”

Stiles ended up with carrot sticks instead of popcorn, and he pouted all the way through finding their seats and sitting down.

And Derek ended up staying during the whole movie and enjoying it. Not because of the movie itself, but because he got to sit next to Stiles, got to listen and watch him laugh loudly.

*

 **Stiles** : Super busy, won’t come for lunch today! :( Sorry!

Derek had stared at the text for about a minute, before he shifted his attention to the packed lunch he had on his desk, the packed lunch he had spend an hour making for Stiles the night before.

It had been a week since the movie theater. Derek hadn’t gotten better at controlling his feelings, but he had found a ton more recipes for healthy meals he was going to make for Stiles. Laura had kept teasing him and groaning at him, because he hadn’t stopped talking about Stiles the whole weekend.

There hadn’t been much to do that morning, no emergencies, so Derek got up and went into the Sheriff’s office at 12:16 PM. “Sheriff,” he said as he walked in. “I’m going to take a lunch break. Out of the station.”

The Sheriff gave him a knowing look, a little smile forming on his lips. “You going to see Stiles?” Derek didn’t have time to answer, before the Sheriff continued, nodding and returning to his paper work. “You’re a good man, Hale. Take good care of him.” He lifted his gaze for just another moment. “But don’t be gone for too long, or you’re gonna have to take the night shift.”

Derek nodded. “Thank you, sheriff.” He left the office, ignored Parrish’s comment as he grabbed the lunch, and he left the station.

Stiles worked in a boring office building. He always complained about how much he hated it there, and as Derek walked through the lobby to the elevator, he could understand why. The building was as boring on the inside as it was on the outside. No color and just a bunch of people in suits who looked either snobby or boring.

Derek would hate it there too.

The IT department was slightly less boring. The people there didn’t wear suits, at least not all of them. Stiles certainly didn’t, had said several times that the only places he would wear a suit were at funerals and weddings.

Derek didn’t make it far from the elevator and into the department, before a red haired woman walked in front of him, a smile on her lips that reminded him too much of Erica. “You wouldn’t be deputy Hale, would you?”

“Yeah, that’s me.”

The smile grew wider, and she held out a hand that he shook. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. Stiles talks about you all the time.” Her eyes roamed over his body, the smile turning into a wicked grin. “And I can definitely see what he’s talking about.”

Confused, Derek opened his mouth to ask. Except he didn’t get to, because there was Stiles. Storming down the hallway toward them.

Stiles laughed loudly and nervously as he came to a halt up against the woman, a hand clasped over her mouth. “Don’t listen to anything Lydia says. She’s delusional.”

Lydia rolled her eyes and pushed Stiles off of her. “You can take a quick lunch, but no funny business anywhere,” she said, pointing a warning finger at both of them, before she turned around and left them.

Stiles’ face flushed, but he shook his head and turned back to Derek when Lydia had gone back into an office further down the hallway. “My boss,” he explained. “So, to what do I owe the pleasure of having deputy Derek Hale himself come visit me at work?” he asked, stepped closer and biting his bottom lip lightly.

Derek responded with lifting the lunch, a smile on his lips when Stiles’ face lit up. “Oh my God, you’re the fucking best!” Stiles exclaimed, grabbing the lunch from Derek. “I’m so hungry, you have no idea.” As he turned around, he grabbed Derek’s hand and dragged him down the hall to a cubicle.

“Welcome to my little slice of Hell.” The cubicle wasn’t much. There were a few toys on the desk next to a computer and a picture of the Stilinski family, but that was about it. Nothing special.

Stiles looked around him for a moment, then placed the lunch on his desk and patted Derek’s chest. “I’m gonna go find you a chair. Stay here, big guy.”

“I was actually gonna-”

“Nope, nu uh.” Stiles poked at his chest, his brows raising. They were standing awfully close, and Derek was sure Stiles could feel his pounding heart. “You came all this way, so you’re gonna have lunch with me. Stay put, I’m gonna go steal Danny’s extra chair.”

Sharing a lunch with Stiles was nice. Stiles had his feet in Derek’s lap the whole time, practically sprawled out on him, and Derek found himself rubbing absently at his shins, as he listened to Stiles talk about his work place.

“I mean, I’ve got two of my friends here,” he said, poking at what was left of the lunch, “and the people in this department aren’t that bad. I just…” He shrugged, sighing. “It’s not what I want to do, so it just feels like a waste of time.”

“You’re 22, Stiles.” Derek rubbed up along Stiles’ left shin, earning a pleasant sigh. “You’ve got plenty of time to do what you want to do.”

“I guess.” Stiles let his eyes slide closed and a near moan passed his lips. “Oh my God, you have magic fingers. That feels good.”

Derek tensed. That moan went straight to his crotch and this was not the time nor place for him to be sporting a boner for his boss’ son. He swallowed thickly and cleared his throat, patting Stiles’ shin lightly. “I should get back to work,” he said with a nod. “I don’t want to have to take the night shift today.”

“Why, ‘cause it’s a full moon tonight?” At Derek’s panicked look, Stiles laughed. “Relax, it’s not like there’ll be werewolves running around and maiming people.”

Derek laughed dryly. “Funny.” He grabbed Stiles’ legs and put them off his own, so he could stand up. “But no, I’ve got plans with Laura and I can’t cancel.”

Stiles put the empty lunch on his desk and stood up as well, throwing his arms around Derek in a tight hug. Derek was surprised, confused, at the hug for several seconds, before he slowly returned it, his arms moving around Stiles’ middle. It felt good, and he could smell the happiness - mixed with nerves and worry - radiating from Stiles.

When they pulled apart, Stiles smiled at him and patted his shoulder. “Be careful at work, yeah?”

Derek nodded, stunned. “Always am.”

Later that night when he was fighting the wolfish urges and listening to his alpha’s soft and comforting voice, he focused on Stiles. Focused on the memory of his arms around him, focused on the sound of his voice and laughter, and focused on the way Stiles made him feel.

And it made getting through the full moon a little bit easier.

*

“Hale!”

Derek looked up from the open file on his desk to Parrish coming to a halt in front of him, a smile on his lips. “You’ve been here for a month, so now it’s your turn to buy us all coffee.”

A few people tiredly cheered around the station, and Derek huffed a laugh as he got up, grabbing his jacket. “Fine. Bring the coffee orders.”

The sun had gone down an hour or two ago, and Derek had arrived at the station for a night shift not long ago. He didn’t drink coffee, could easily keep himself awake without caffeine, but he could see the tired looks of the other deputies. Coffee was definitely well deserved.

There weren’t many people at the coffee shop, never were at this time of the day. Which was probably good, considering the big order he was about to give them.

Derek took exactly one step into the coffee shop, and then he stopped. An all too familiar scent and feeling rushed over him, and he turned slowly.

Slowly until his eyes landed on the back of Stiles’ head. Scott sitting on the other side of the table was already looking over at him, and Derek could hear him whisper “Your deputy’s here” to Stiles, just before Stiles whipped around, fork in mouth and eyes immediately on Derek.

And there was that bright smile that made Derek’s heart pound faster in his chest. Stiles raised one hand to wave at him, and another to take the fork out of his mouth. “Hey, Derek!”

Derek shot a look over at the barista and nodded at her in greeting, before he headed over to the two. “Shouldn’t you be at home?”

“Maybe if I was 10 and still lived with my dad, yeah.” Stiles stabbed his fork down into the half eaten chocolate cake and shoved it into his mouth. “Your turn for coffee run, huh?”

Derek didn’t answer. He just grabbed the plate the chocolate cake was on and headed to the staring barista. “Wha- hey!” he heard Stiles yell from behind him. “I wasn’t done with that!”

“You shouldn’t even be eating it,” Derek said back, not stopping even when Stiles grabbed his arm in an attempt to make him stop. He handed the plate over to the barista who nervously took it from him. “I’d like a fruit cup, please.”

Stiles slammed his hand down on the counter, practically leaning against Derek at this point. “No, don’t give him anything, he’s crazy.” He turned to look at Derek, a halfhearted glare. “And I was really enjoying that cake, asshat.”

“You still shouldn’t be eating it.” Derek pulled out the coffee orders from the station he had written down on a piece of paper and handed it to the confused barista. “And all of these, thank you.”

The barista looked between the two, then she nodded, put the cake down, and turned to make the coffees. Stiles was still glaring at Derek, a pout pushing his bottom lip out. “You may make amazing lunches for me every day, but you’re a really rude person, did you know that? ‘Cause you are, and I hate you a little bit right now.”

Stiles’ heartbeat was rapid, jumping a little. It wasn’t a lie, but it definitely wasn’t the truth either.

“It’s for your own good.” Derek shifted back a little, just so Stiles wasn’t pressed up against him. It was kind of distracting to be this close to him.

Stiles scoffed. “It’s for my own good that you first steal my popcorn and now my cake? Yeah, I don’t see how that’s for my own good, Derek. All I see is you being an asshole and stealing the small pleasures from me. I earned that cake, buddy.” He lifted a finger, poking at Derek’s chest, his eyes locked onto Derek’s. “I worked hard at the office today, so I deserve that cake.”

“The cake is bad for you,” Derek shot back, allowing himself to lean into Stiles’ space, although he did have to stop himself from leaning closer and either breathe in his scent or kiss him - or both.

“One little cake won’t hurt me, Derek!” Stiles had raised his voice, attracting the other customers’ attention. The barista put down a fruit cup on the counter, and Stiles cast it a look, before he took it with a huff. “You’re paying for it.”

Derek rolled his eyes, wallet already out. “I was going to pay for it anyway.”

Stiles made a face at him and scoffed. “You owe me cake now, Hale.” He slapped Derek’s shoulder, then headed back to Scott, grumbling insults at Derek under his breath.

“You guys are cute,” Derek heard Scott say along with the plastic cup being opened.

Stiles made an annoyed noise and bit down into an apple slice. “He took my cake, Scott. Which was a very asshole move!” He turned his head, yelling in Derek’s direction and making a face at him when Derek looked over at him.

Derek couldn’t help but feel a bit bad about having taken the cake from Stiles. The fruit was better for him, sure, but he did smell slightly sadder than when Derek had walked in.

So when the barista had finished the coffees and handed him two take out trays, he bought a small cookie. The healthiest cookie they had, of course. He balanced the trays of coffee on his one arm and went over to Scott and Stiles’ table, handing Stiles the cookie.

Although he did make sure to not look happy about it.

Scott bit back a smile, maybe a laugh, and Stiles looked from the cookie to Derek, silently chewing the last bit of apple. “You couldn’t have gotten me a _good_ cookie?”

Derek rolled his eyes, groaning. “Just take the damn cookie, Stiles.”

Huffing, Stiles snatched it out of his hand and took a bite. “You still owe me a cake,” he murmured around the bite, sinking down in his seat as he pouted.

Just before Derek left the shop, half a step outside, he heard Scott say “have you still not told him about your crush?” and Stiles choke on the cookie.

“Shut up, Scott! He can still hear you!” Stiles yelled, a hand slapping against the table followed by choked coughs.

Derek didn’t try to fight the smile that formed on his lips all the way back to the station.

*

Derek had been a deputy for 6 weeks, 3 weeks of making Stiles lunch every day, when he finally had a full day off. A full day to do absolutely nothing and to catch up on some much needed reading.

He let himself sleep in. And by sleep in, instead of getting up a 6 AM for a run before work, he got up at 8 and skipped the run. He stepped into a pair of sweats and put on a loose shirt, as he headed to make breakfast.

And when noon rolled around, he found himself spread out on his couch with a book in his hands, enjoying the distant sound of the busy town under him.

The pleasant silence didn’t last long though, because a few hours later, there was a loud knocking on his door pulling him out of the book’s world. He listened carefully to the other side of the door, only to find a very familiar heartbeat.

A heartbeat beating angrily and rapidly.

Slowly, Derek closed and put the book down and got up to go to the door. He slid the door open and nearly got punched in the face by Stiles’ fist. He would have gotten punched if he hadn’t taken half a step back, knowing the fist would be there.

Stiles looked surprised for a moment, then pointed a finger at him. “Enough!” His anger subsided for a second, when his gaze dropped from Derek’s face to his body. “Oh my God, you’re wearing sweats.”

Derek’s brows jumped. “Did you think I would be wearing my uniform at home?” His brows lowered shortly after, knitting together. “How do you know where I live?”

Stiles shrugged, his eyes wandering. “I may have… used my dad’s computer and found out. But that’s not important!” The anger was back, and he raised his hand. His hand that was clutched around a sealed bag of apple slices. “ _This_ is what’s important!”

Derek looked at the bag held up in front of his face, then back at Stiles, confused. “They’re apples,” he said slowly.

“Apples that somehow replaced my secret stash of candy!” Groaning loudly, Stiles stepped around Derek and headed inside, throwing the apples elsewhere.

Derek stood still for a second, before he closed the door and turned around to face Stiles just as Stiles did the same, his arms spread wide and frustration and anger clear on his face. “Did you know I was saving that candy for when I was having a really shitty day and wanted to treat myself a little? Did you know that, Derek? Because if you did, there’s no way you’d replace my candy with fucking more fruit!”

Stiles was yelling loudly at this point. Derek knew he would end up with a ton of complaints from his neighbors, but that wasn’t important. Not right now.

“But candy is bad for you,” he said, taking a step closer to Stiles.

“One or two pieces of candy won’t fucking kill you, idiot!” Stiles put his hands in his hair, a frustrated groan leaving him. “I know you don’t know shit about these things, but Derek, eating sweets and unhealthy things every once in a while won’t kill you. Like at all!”

“Maybe not right now, but if you keep doing it, it’ll kill you.”

“No it won’t!” Stiles stepped closer, eyes firmly on Derek. “Listen to me, Derek. Candy and fast food is bad for you if you always eat it and never eat anything else, but once in a while? That’s fine.” He sighed, long and loudly, throwing his head back for a moment. “I miss eating fast food. I haven’t had a burger for so many weeks, because somehow you always know when I’m about to eat something unhealthy. I don’t know if it’s some weird, werewolf skill or whatever, but it’s annoying.”

Derek looked at him, confused but mostly surprised, and Stiles shrugged. “Yeah, I know about werewolves. News flash: I’m not an idiot!” He quickly lifted a warning finger, eyes wide on Derek. “Don’t comment on that.”

Derek watched him for a moment, relieved that Stiles knew and was okay with the whole werewolf thing. But then he sighed, shoulder dropping and eyes on the floor. “I’ve been around werewolves my whole life. I don’t really know how humans work. And I saw you care so much about what your dad eats, so I just assumed that’s what you do when you care about someone.”

“Yeah well, obviously you want the people you care about to eat healthy so they can- wait what?” Stiles’ face softened a little, surprise replacing anger. “You… You care about me?”

Derek gave him a look, eyebrows low and eyes narrow. “Of course I do. Why else would I spend hours making you lunch every day?”

He could sense the anger fading away, getting replaced with a happiness, and Stiles’ heart was beating quickly in excitement. Stiles bit back a smile, although it showed on his face anyway. “You spend hours making me lunch?”

“Worth every second of it,” Derek answered immediately, eyes firmly on Stiles.

Stiles took a few steps toward Derek, legs moving slowly. His mouth was open, lips parted, but not a word left him, and the expression in his eyes was a mix of determination and nerves. He stepped into Derek’s space, his eyes flickering from Derek’s to his lips, Derek’s doing the same.

Stiles was the one to close to distance between them, but Derek met him halfway, their lips meeting in a hesitant kiss. The hesitation faded the second Stiles’ hands went to Derek’s face and pulled him closer. Derek breathed him in, his arms moving around Stiles’ middle.

Stiles made a small noise of satisfaction in the back of his throat, when Derek’s tongue swiped across his lips, and he parted them, allowing his own tongue to move out and meet the wolf’s.

However the kiss didn’t last long, because then Stiles pulled back, just far enough for their lips to be barely touching, their noses brushing and their foreheads resting against each. He looked at Derek’s lips, then snapped his eyes up to meet Derek’s staring and hazel ones.

“I’m still mad at you about the candy,” he said, his hands moving from Derek’s face to behind his neck.

Derek huffed, his breath falling over Stiles’ reddened lips, and a smile hinted at his lips. “I’ll buy you some.” He pecked Stiles’ lips shortly, tightening his grip around him just a little. “Tomorrow.”

Stiles blinked before he grinned and bit his bottom lip, a glint in his eyes. “Oh, so I’m staying tonight, huh?” At Derek’s nod, he continued. “Does this mean I finally get to see you cook?”

“Or you could help.”

Stiles hummed softly in thought, then shook his head lightly, his nose bumping against Derek’s. “Nope, because you’re gonna pay for stealing all my candy, and cooking for me is step one.”

He paused, the grin returning wider this time as he pressed himself close to Derek, rolling his hips against him. “Actually, I think I’ve got another idea for step one.”

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on my [tumblr](http://hoechlbutt.tumblr.com/), come cry about fictional characters with me


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